Regenerative furnace and means for measuring the temperature thereof



Oct. 11, 1938. L. RUMFORD. 2D I v 2,133,045 1 REG ENERATIVE FURNACE ANDMEANS FOR MEASURING THE TEMPERATURE THEREOF Filed Dec 24, 1936 RADATIONPYROMETER TEMPERATURE RECORDER GAS ATTORNEYS I Patented Oct. 11, 1938REGENERATIVE FURNACE AND MEANS FOR gIEEASURING THE TEMPERATURE THERE-.Lewis Rumford, 11, Wilmington, Del., asslgnor to United States SteelCorporation, New York, N Y., a corporation of New Jersey ApplicationDecember 24, 1936, Serial No. 117,665 4 Claims. (01. 73-343) UNITEDSTATESEPATENT. OFFICE Otherwise the reversing of the furnace manually orautomatically is performed purely by guesswork, which at best isunreliable and unsatisfactory.

' 15 One of the objects of the present invention is to provide means toobtain a continuous record of checker chamber temperatures to facilitatethe operation of a regenerative furnace and to obtain thereby themaximum efficiency thereof.

20 Another object is to provide means to determine the temperaturesattained by the checkerbrick located at the hottest point in the checkerchamber during the' time the said checker chamher is being heated byoutgoing gases and to pro- 25 vide means associated therewith tointerrupt or discontinue such temperature measurements while the saidchecker chamber'is cooling down during the passage of incoming gasestherethrough. Other objects will be apparent as the 30 invention is morefully disclosed. In accordance with the objects of the presen inventionI dispose a radiation pyrometer in a position to be sighted through anopening in the I checker chamber wall upon the checker brick- 35 worktherein at the point where the brick is subjected to the maximum heatingeffects incident to the passage of heated gases therethrough and providemeans for closing automatically the said opening when the furnace isreversed so that no 40 temperature measurements then are made until afollowing reversal automatically uncovers the saidopening. As a specificembodiment of the present invention I preferably employ a shutter andsolenoid actuated means for moving the 45 shutter into positionto coverand uncover the said opening.

" Referencein this connection should be made to the single figure of theaccompanying drawing wherein I have schematically illustrated the 50present invention.

Referring to the drawing, the regenerative furnace is indicatedschematically as comprising a hearth l retaining a metal bath 2 andenclosed from the atmosphere by roof 3. The regenera- 55 tive furnaceindicated is the'type adapted to be heated by producer gas. It iscustomary to preheat both the producer gas and the .air admixedtherewith for combustion purposes before passing the gas and air intothe furnace. This is accomplished by providing two checker chambers ateach end of the furnace indicated as AA and BB', chambers A and Bserving as preheat chambers for the air and chambers AB' serving aspreheat chambers for the producer gas. In the position indicated in thedrawing cham- 10 has A-Av are serving as preheat chamber for the air andproducer gas respectively during one heating cycle and chambers BB arebeing heated by the outgoing gases of combustion, the

flow of gases being indicated by arrows.

In accordance with the present invention I dispose radiation pyrometersPl, P2, P3 and P4 in a position to be sighted through suitable openingsin the walls of chambers A, A, B and'B' respectively upon the top of thechecker brickwork 4 located therein and then provide solenoid actuatedshutter means SI and S2 to cover up the openings in chambers A and B(the producer gas preheat chambers) when the said chambers are beingutilized as preheat chambers but to uncover the openings when thechambers are being utilized as exhaust chambers. and are being heated uppreparatory to again serving as preheat chambers.

In the normal reversing procedure, the manually operating and theautomatically operating reversing means provided functions tosimultaneously reverse .valves VI and V2 into the dotted positionindicated and then back to the solid line position indicated, the periodof reversal depending upon the temperatures attained in the checkerchambers at each heating up cycle. Re-

' versal of valves VI and V2 is accomplished by hydraulic rams R(indicated schematically).

To avoid danger of explosion by the escape of producer gas through theopenings through which pyrometers Pi and P4 are sighted or by theentrance of air into the chamberthrough these openings, it is essentialthat the solenoid actuated means SI and S2 covering and uncovering theseopenings should act positively upon the actuation of valve V2.

I therefore dispose an. extension rod 6 upon the hydraulic ram R.actuating valve V2 in such position as to strike spring contacts 6-6 atopposite strokes of theram causing them to make electrical contact withcontacts I -I. Numeral 5' indicates the position taken by rod 5 at theother end of the stroke of ram R.

Upon the closing of either contacts 6-8" with 1-4 solenoid SI are: (asthe case m'ay be} is energized thereby operating to open the shutter anduncovering the opening through which pyrometer R4 (or Pl as the case maybe) is sighted. In the position'shown in the drawing the checkerchambers to the left (A'--A) are operating on what is known as thepreheat or ingoing cy'cleand chambers 8-3 (to the right) are operatingon the heating up or outgoing gas cycle. The arrangement-indicated'permits solenoid S2 tobe energized and pyrometer P4 to record the tem-'peratures attained whereas solenoid SI is deenergized and pyrometer Piis prevented from recording. Pyrometers P2 and P3, however, record thetemperatures obtained in chambers A and B respectively. Upon reversalsolenoid Si is energized and solenoid S2 de-energized and pyrometer I-lbecomes'recording whereas pyrometer P4 does not record.

Having described the present invention and given one specific embodimentof the same, it is apparent that modifications and adaptations may bemade thereof and all such are contemplated as may .fall within the scopeof. the

1 during the heating up period of the checker accompanying claims: WhatI claim is:

1. A regenerative furnace, checker chambers type, a pair of checkerchambers disposed ad adapted to preheat the air and gaseous fuel in saidfurnace, each chamber being provided with an opening in one wallthereof, a

radiation pyrometer device closing said opening,

shutter means disposed in said opening intermediate said pyrometer andthe interior of said chamber, and solenoid actuated means to move saidshutter means to open and closed positions and means actuated uponreversal of said furnace to energize and de-energize the said solenoidmeans. i I

2. A regenerative furnace including checker chambers disposed adjacentend of said furnace and provided with means to reverse the fuel andairsupply to the furnace thereby to alternately heat up and cooldown-said chambers by the passage ct'outgoing gases of combustion andingcing fuel and air therethrough respectively, each checker chamberbeing provided with means to determine the temperatures attained by thechecker brickwork in said checker chamhers during the heating up'cycle,said means including an opening extending through the wall of saidchamber adjacent the top thereof, a radiation pyrometer closing saidopening from the atmosphere, a shutter element disposed in said openingintermediate the pyrometer device and the interior of the chamber.-solenoid actuated means te move the shutter to shut and open potition,and means actuated by said furnace revers ing means to energize andde-energize said solenoid means upon operation of said reversing means,said energlzation and de-energization of the solenoid means beingadapted to open the shutter element in the opening during the heating upperiod for the chamber and to close the shutter ,during the period ofcooling down,

3. A regenerative furnace including checker chambersdisposed adjacenteach end 'of the furmace for the preheating of air and gaseous fuel forthe furnace meanstc reverse the said furnace; to alternately pass thegaseous products of combustion from the furnace-through the said checkchambers, an opening through the wall of ,each checker chamber adjacentthe top thereof, a radiation pyrometer device each opening, a shutterelement located 'in each opening, solenoid actuated means to positioneach smutter to block 011 radiation passing to the pyrometer from saidchamber, and means actuated by said furnace reversing means to energizeeach solenoid actuated means to thereby position said shutter inblocking position during the cooting period and in unblocking position4. A regenerative furnace of the gaseous fuel iacent each end of saidfurnace and communicating therewith, means to pass air and gaseous fuelthrough one pair of chambers while the opposite pair are being heated upby the passage of gaseous products of combustion from the each checkerchamber and a radiation pyrometer device closing ,each of, saidopenings, shutter means in each opening of the chambers through whichgaseous fuel passes and adopted in one position to close oif one of saidradiation pyrometer devices from radiation emitted from one of saidchambers and in a second position to permit said radiation to pass tosaid pyrometer de said shutter means into said two positions, and meansactuated automatically by said reversing 'meansto energize the saidsolenoid actuated means operating the shutter means to thereby close ofiradiations passing to said pyrometer detherethrough, means to reversethe flow of said vice, solenoid actuated means to operate each of vicesduring the cooling down period and to open the shutter means duringheating up period.

7 LEWIS RUMFQRD, 11.

